dron_jones
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I just got my Beith Performance parts carbon fiber steering wheel in the mail and did the installation this weekend and figured i would post up a quick review.
Upon buying the GT350 i was very happy with all aspects of the car, the only thing i had a minor gripe with was the steering wheel. My last car was an E92 M3 and IMO in that price range the M cars had some of the best steering wheels on the market. They were thick and substantial, nice shape and leather was high quality. After 800 short miles my alcantara already started to look a little tired, couple that with the thin steering wheel and i decided to make the upgrade.
I researched several different suppliers of the carbon custom wheels but ultimately ended up with Beith because from the pictures i had seen and the user testimonial everyone was happy. There were others out there for ~100$ less but ultimately since this one of the main components you interact with every time you drive the car i wasn't interested in taking a chance on a lower level of quality.
I placed my order with Tim, Carbon top and bottom, flat bottom, perforated leather on the sides, red 12 o'clock marker, and gray stitching (to match the regular 350 but i prefer the higher visibility that the red 12 o'clock marker gives). Tim from Beith is extremely good with communication answering all my questions and keeping me updated on status after i had paid. Total time to get the wheel was between 3-4 weeks, Tim PM'ed me with the shipping, shipped with a signature for security and packed the wheel extremely well ensuring no damage.
The installation was extremely easy, for anyone doing it CJ Pony parts has a great video showing how. Total time was about 20minutes for the install start to finish.
Now as far as the wheel itself goes, i was extremely blown away by the quality of the work. The stitching is perfect, the leather is tight with no buckling, the carbon fiber weaves are laid very straight with no bunching or buckling, the clear coat is smooth perfectly shaped, there are finger grooves in the back of the wheel. The bezels fit perfectly and flush with the new wheel. The level of quality is OEM quality for sure. No complaints.
While for me there are no negatives thus far i will give a couple of cautionary points:
1. the carbon fiber is extremely thick. It is thicker than my old M3 wheel for sure. For me i prefer the oversize vs. undersize but if you have smaller POTUS hands you may want to think twice about the carbon, it may be too big
2. I haven't experienced it yet but i could envision a scenario when doing track events that if you had sweaty hands there might be less grip on the carbon than traditional alcantara or leather. Again i didn't experience anything myself but it might be a consideration for a track heavy user.
Well enough talking, on to the pictures
Upon buying the GT350 i was very happy with all aspects of the car, the only thing i had a minor gripe with was the steering wheel. My last car was an E92 M3 and IMO in that price range the M cars had some of the best steering wheels on the market. They were thick and substantial, nice shape and leather was high quality. After 800 short miles my alcantara already started to look a little tired, couple that with the thin steering wheel and i decided to make the upgrade.
I researched several different suppliers of the carbon custom wheels but ultimately ended up with Beith because from the pictures i had seen and the user testimonial everyone was happy. There were others out there for ~100$ less but ultimately since this one of the main components you interact with every time you drive the car i wasn't interested in taking a chance on a lower level of quality.
I placed my order with Tim, Carbon top and bottom, flat bottom, perforated leather on the sides, red 12 o'clock marker, and gray stitching (to match the regular 350 but i prefer the higher visibility that the red 12 o'clock marker gives). Tim from Beith is extremely good with communication answering all my questions and keeping me updated on status after i had paid. Total time to get the wheel was between 3-4 weeks, Tim PM'ed me with the shipping, shipped with a signature for security and packed the wheel extremely well ensuring no damage.
The installation was extremely easy, for anyone doing it CJ Pony parts has a great video showing how. Total time was about 20minutes for the install start to finish.
Now as far as the wheel itself goes, i was extremely blown away by the quality of the work. The stitching is perfect, the leather is tight with no buckling, the carbon fiber weaves are laid very straight with no bunching or buckling, the clear coat is smooth perfectly shaped, there are finger grooves in the back of the wheel. The bezels fit perfectly and flush with the new wheel. The level of quality is OEM quality for sure. No complaints.
While for me there are no negatives thus far i will give a couple of cautionary points:
1. the carbon fiber is extremely thick. It is thicker than my old M3 wheel for sure. For me i prefer the oversize vs. undersize but if you have smaller POTUS hands you may want to think twice about the carbon, it may be too big
2. I haven't experienced it yet but i could envision a scenario when doing track events that if you had sweaty hands there might be less grip on the carbon than traditional alcantara or leather. Again i didn't experience anything myself but it might be a consideration for a track heavy user.
Well enough talking, on to the pictures
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